Alexia Delfino
Alexia Delfino is a PhD candidate in Economics at the London School of Economics and Political Science
Content by Alexia Delfino
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Blog post
Is the rule of law good for women? Evidence from micro-entrepreneurs in Lusaka, Zambia
The rapidly growing cities of the developing world can be an engine for private sector growth (Krugman, 1991; Glaeser, 2011). However, the positive externalities of living in urban areas become lost opportunities when people cannot safely trade with each other. This can happen either because of lack of mutual confidence or weakness in the rule of law. Across countries,...
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Publication - Policy Brief
Women, entrepreneurship, and institutions
This project aims to investigate whether improving enforcement of rule of law benefits female entrepreneurs more than male entrepreneurs, thus serving to reduce the gender gap in entrepreneurship. The project builds upon previous work that collected data on the distribution of all businesses across Lusaka. This brief presents new analysis of this data which reveals...
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Publication - Policy Brief
Urban density, trust, and knowledge sharing in Lusaka, Zambia
This project aims to investigate the channels through which urban agglomeration can foster (or hinder) firm growth in developing countries. This brief presents the first stage of this research agenda, the collection of a new dataset mapping the spatial distribution of all the businesses in Lusaka: the Lusaka Census of Urban Entrepreneurs (47,428 firms),...
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Blog post
Urban density, trust, and knowledge sharing in Lusaka
A recent IGC study looks at the relationship between urban density, in the context of Lusaka, trust and knowledge sharing among small-scale manufacturing firms. Zambia’s urban population is set to reach 12 million by 2030 – double its urban population as of 2015. Economic theory suggests that urban density can facilitate economic growth through agglomeration...
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Project
Growing together: Trust, spontaneous clusters, and the growth of micro, small, and medium enterprises in cities
The rapid growth of cities in the African continent provides a new opportunity for the spread of innovative ideas and creates the conditions for the accumulation of social capital through repeated interactions. Urban density and social proximity can foster cooperation in the provision of public goods and the creation of win-win solutions which relax the economic constraints...